The Flying Dutchman · Train with Jan
Accelerated, one-on-one flight training from Denver (KAPA), or at your home airport. One instructor, flying every day, until you're checkride-ready.
Why accelerated
A typical 1.1-hour lesson at a traditional school: 0.3 taxiing and run-up, 0.2 getting to the practice area, 0.4 remembering what you forgot, 0.2 getting home. With us you're on the radio, flying the pattern and using the avionics on day one, at multiple airports, in real scenarios. One day here is about a month at a traditional school.
| Accelerated | Traditional | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to checkride | 10–15 days | 5½–8 months |
| Flight hours to PPL | ≈ 45–50 | ≈ 65–75 |
| Trips to the airport | ≈ 12 | 65–97 |
| Completion rate | ≈ 90–95% | ≈ 6–20% |
| Typical PPL cost | ≈ $15–17k | $15–20k+ (up to $35k) |
Programs
10–15 days
Zero to checkride-ready, flying every day. One instructor, full time, until you are done.
≈ $15–17k all-in
10–14 days
Real IFR cross-countries with departures, holds and approaches at different airports every day.
≈ $12–15k
7 days
FOI, lesson plans, teaching scenarios and ≈ 21 hours of flying from the right seat.
$800/day + aircraft
3 days
For sharp instrument pilots who already hold a CFI. Teach approaches, holds and partial panel.
≈ $4,500 est.
4 days (+1 for checkride)
12 hrs flight, 2 hrs sim, 10 hrs ground in a Beech Travel Air.
$3,000 + aircraft
8–14 days typical
Get your ratings in a Cirrus, or transition to one. In your plane or ours, in Denver or at your home airport.
$800/day · SR20 $350/hr wet
Custom
Taught from the USAF mountain flying course. SR22T or 182T in the Rockies; non-turbo on cool days.
$800/day + aircraft
Multi-day tours
Your rating, earned on a grand tour of the West: Rockies, Sedona, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, LA and Catalina.
$800/day · $1,600 deposit
Instruction rates are per day (about 4 hrs ground + 4 hrs flight). Aircraft are billed separately, only while the engine is running. Mountain flying is taught from the USAF mountain flying course.
Career track
From zero time to Commercial Multi-Engine Instrument with your CFI, CFII and MEI: what you need to start building time and get to the airlines, earning a healthy income along the way.
Estimated grand total
≈ $71k
Training ≈ $63.8k + exams, examiner fees, medical and gear ≈ $7k. Estimate only; shared time-building assumes a partner.
| Phase | Days | Hours | Total time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Private Pilot | 1–12 | 45 flight | 45 TT | $15–17,000 |
| 2Solo cross-country | 13–18 | 25 flight | 70 TT | $3,500 |
| 3Simulator / IFR | 19–23 | 25 sim | 95 TT | $5,400 |
| 4IFR cross-country | 24–28 | 20 XC IFR | 115 TT | $6,550 |
| 5Shared XC time building | 29–48 | 75 shared | 190 TT | $5,250 shared |
| 6Commercial maneuvers | 49–53 | 20 flight | 210 TT | $6,550 |
| 7Shared time building | 54–60 | 20 shared | 230 TT | $1,400 shared |
| 8Commercial / CFI prep | 61–65 | 20 dual | 250 TT | $6,550 |
| 9CFI / CFII | 66–70 | 5 dual | 255 TT | $4,450 |
| 10Multi-engine (MEI) | 71–75 | 10 dual ME | 265 TT | $6,150 |
Fleet · Denver (KAPA)
Rent through Centennial Flyers: they only charge while the engine runs, with no charge for taking a plane on tour. Or train in your own airplane; bring the logbooks and ARROW paperwork.
Cessna 172
12 available
$129–149per hr, wet
Piper PA-28-180
1 available
$135per hr, wet
Diamond DA40
3 available
$214per hr, wet
Cessna 182
6 available
$199–249per hr, wet
Cirrus SR20 G6
2 available
$348per hr, wet
Cirrus SR22T G5
1 available
$499 (incl. fuel, TKS, O₂)per hr, wet
Cirrus SR22T G6
1 available
$539 all-inclusiveper hr, wet
Beech 95 Travel Air (multi)
3 available
$248–275per hr, wet
See for yourself
Before you arrive
Pass the knowledge test
Study with Sporty's Study Buddy until you consistently score 90%+, then we send your endorsement to the testing center.
Get your medical
Register at MedXPress, then find an examiner. Third class for private; first class if you plan to fly professionally.
Set up your EFB
ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot on an iPad (and a backup device), with charts downloaded for offline use.
Apply for your student pilot certificate
Create an IACRA account and tell Jan so he can recommend and endorse you.
Join Flight Circle
Pick Centennial Flyers (Denver). Flight Circle handles scheduling for aircraft and instructors.
Renter’s insurance
Required in Las Vegas, highly recommended in Denver. We recommend Starr Aviation.
Study the memory items
Work through the Captain Jan Private Pilot course before day one; it steepens the learning curve dramatically.
Hold your dates
A deposit secures your training dates. We accept Zelle, card (3.5% fee), cash or check.
Then work through the Private Pilot course and get your gear sorted.
Students say
"A+ instructor"
“We got through my challenges with landings, radios, more right rudder!, as well as all of my pre-checkride time requirements incredibly quickly. I was able to solo one day and then go on my XC solo the next day with full confidence in my abilities to safely navigate complex airspace and be ready should an emergency arise. Jan's solid and consistent training got me through to checkride readiness within my (again, crazy) timeline. A+ training program and a A+ instructor.”
Questions & answers
Regular schools fly two-hour blocks a few times a week, with an instructor juggling 10–20 students. You forget between lessons and re-learn at the start of each one. Here you have one instructor, full time, until you are done: typically checkride-ready in 10–15 flying days.
Private, Instrument, Commercial, Multi-Engine, CFI, CFII and MEI, plus "finish-up" training for anyone who needs that last push.
An oral exam and a flight with an independent FAA Designated Pilot Examiner: about 4 hours total. We coordinate the examiner and make sure you have everything you need.
About 4 hours of ground and 4 hours of flying, adjusted to weather and how you learn. It sounds like a lot of ground school, and that is exactly why our oral pass rate is so high.
Less re-learning, less waste. Traditional students spend each 1.1-hour lesson taxiing, getting to the practice area and remembering last week. We fly to multiple airports and work every minute.
Yes. Bring your plane (with logbooks and ARROW documents) and Jan will tailor the training to it, or he can come to your home airport.
Get started
Jan only trains people who are serious about getting their certificate or rating. If that's you, tell him where you are and when you want to fly.
Call or text · Based in Denver / Centennial (KAPA), Tucson, Los Angeles